Field Level Media
Sep 13, 2020
Rougned Odor belted his second three-run home run in two days and right-hander Lance Lynn held the visiting Oakland Athletics in check for seven innings Sunday afternoon as the Rangers managed a four-game split with the American League West leaders with a 6-3 victory in the series finale.
Derek Dietrich and Jeff Mathis also homered for the last-place Rangers (17-30), who won for just the third time in 10 games against the first-place A's (29-17) this season.
With Lynn (6-2) and A's right-hander Frankie Montas (3-4) both pitching well, the game was tied 1-1 entering the bottom of the sixth. But then, with one out, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nick Solak singled consecutively, setting the stage for Odor, who took Montas out to right field.
Odor's three-run homer Saturday came in the first inning of the first game of a doubleheader, providing the first runs of an eventual 5-2 win.
The homers were his fifth and sixth of the season.
Mathis padded the lead with a two-run homer, his second of the season, in the seventh.
Lynn was pulled with a 6-1 advantage after seven innings, having allowed just one run and three hits. He walked two and struck out 10.
In three games against the A's this season, Lynn is 2-0, allowing four runs in 19 1/3 innings. He struck out 25.
Montas was charged with four runs on seven hits in his 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out seven.
The first 5 1/2 innings featured a pitchers' duel between Lynn and Montas, with the A's scoring only in the first on Stephen Piscotty's infield out and the Rangers getting even in the second on a solo homer by Dietrich, his third of the season.
Oakland attempted a late rally, getting within 6-2 on a solo homer by Tommy La Stella in the eighth, his fifth of the year.
Jonah Heim's infield hit with two outs in the ninth closed the gap to 6-3 and brought the potential tying run to the plate, but Rafael Montero struck out Seth Brown with two aboard to end it.
Dietrich and Kiner-Falefa finished with two hits apiece for the Rangers, who won for just the fourth time in their last 13 games.
Mark Canha had two hits, including a ninth-inning triple, and La Stella scored twice for the A's, who are scheduled for a make-up doubleheader in Seattle on Monday before completing an eight-game trip at Colorado later in the week.
--Field Level Media